1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to passenger protection and safety systems for airline aircraft, and more specifically to an individual parachute system for each passenger seat on an airline aircraft. The present invention generally comprises an individual parachute removably installed within a cavity formed in the seat back of each passenger seat aboard an airline aircraft. The parachute harness extends forwardly from the seat back for donning by the seated passenger.
2. Description of the Related Art
While airline safety has seen continuous improvement over the years, the airline industry cannot provide one hundred percent safety to its passengers. Any time a complex machine is traveling at a high rate of speed, there is some element of danger, even if that element is quite small. While various safety devices have been installed in airline aircraft in the past, and in fact are required by regulation (e.g., flotation devices for overwater flights, and emergency oxygen equipment), there has never been any requirement for emergency parachute equipment to be provided on board for airline passengers.
In the past, most parachutes tended to be relatively bulky and heavy, and the placement of emergency parachutes within the passenger cabin of an airliner was impractical, due to the reduction of payload and interior cabin volume. However, the parachute industry has seen significant advances in emergency parachutes in the relatively recent past. Many emergency parachutes are now capable of supporting persons of significant weight and withstanding opening shocks at relatively high velocities, all while conforming to a back pack configuration having a thickness of only three inches or so, and a weight of less than fifteen pounds.
The configuration of the modern emergency parachute lends itself to convenient storage within the seat back of an otherwise conventional airline passenger seat, with the seat back modified to provide a cavity or receptacle for such an emergency parachute. Accordingly, the present invention provides such an airline seat configuration, with an emergency parachute stored within the modified seat back structure for ready removal and deployment as needed. The forward panel of the seat back upholstery is removably secured over the parachute, with the parachute harness extending forwardly from the seat back for the passenger to don for potential emergency use. The present invention also provides a child harness which removably attaches to the front of the seat back parachute harness, enabling infants or small children to escape with their parent or guardian. While successful escape from an airliner may be difficult, the present invention at least opens the door for possible survival in an otherwise likely fatal accident.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,037 issued on Apr. 1, 1969 to Robert M. Stanley, titled xe2x80x9cApparatus For Deploying And Opening Parachutes,xe2x80x9d describes an emergency parachute using a small rocket to deploy the chute. The rocket is jettisoned from the parachute pack, and then ignited to pull the parachute from the pack. The Stanley parachute deployment device is primarily directed to military chutes which are generally worn directly upon the back of the pilot, rather than to an emergency parachute which is stored within a cavity in a seat back structure, as is the case with the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,098 issued on Jun. 23, 1970 to Maurice H. O""Link, titled xe2x80x9cFloatable Life Preserver Seat Insert,xe2x80x9d describes is a buoyant cushion which is removable from the bottom of the seat structure. The cushion serves as a seat cushion during normal use, but is easily and quickly removed for use as a float in the event of a water emergency landing. No parachute is disclosed, either in the bottom or the back of the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,499 issued on Apr. 10, 1973 to Fred B. Stencel, titled xe2x80x9cMethod Of Deploying A Parachute By A Rocket Under Low Speed Conditions,xe2x80x9d describes another ejection seat system, utilizing a rocket to deploy an emergency parachute from a seat back structure. The parachute remains attached to the seat structure, rather than being removed from the structure, as in the present airline seat parachute invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,731 issued on Jan. 28, 1975 to Robert G. McIntyre, titled xe2x80x9cZero-Delay Speed/Altitude Controlled Ejection Seat,xe2x80x9d describes a system which bypasses or overrides the normal parachute opening delay system, to cause the parachute to deploy more rapidly in the event of low altitude and/or low airspeed use. The present airline seat parachute system may make use of automated devices for opening the parachute, as disclosed in the McIntyre ""731 U.S. Patent, which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. While McIntyre discloses a parachute which is automatically deployed when the ejection seat separates from the flight crewmember, the parachute is worn on the back of the flight crewmember, rather than being stored within the seat back.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,764 issued on Jan. 25, 1977 to Vernon D. Burklund et al., titled xe2x80x9cDrogue Chute Extraction,xe2x80x9d describes yet another ejection seat mechanism using a rocket to deploy a drogue chute, which in turn deploys the main parachute. The main chute remains affixed to the seat structure, unlike the present airline seat parachute which separates from the seat back for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,748 issued on Dec. 22, 1981 to Kenneth Sullivan, titled xe2x80x9cLife Jacket Installation,xe2x80x9d describes a life jacket which is stored in the bottom and back of a seat, with the assembly primarily intended for use in a hovercraft or other high speed watercraft, rather than in an airliner. Accordingly, no parachute is disclosed by Sullivan, and the overall life jacket apparatus of Sullivan is considerably bulkier than is suitable for placement only within the seat back.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,758 issued on Jul. 9, 1985 to Peter Ayoub et al., titled xe2x80x9cDeployment Sequence Mode Selection System For Aircraft Ejection Seat,xe2x80x9d describes an electronic system which takes into account the airspeed, altitude, and rate of descent of the ejection seat and its flight crewmember, to determine the optimum deployment of the parachute. No parachute or seat structure is disclosed by Ayoub et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,623 issued on Oct. 28, 1986 to Bernt Elverskog, titled xe2x80x9cLife-Jacket Assembly,xe2x80x9d describes an emergency use device stored in an aircraft seat back assembly. The Elverskog life jacket is deployed by opening the top cover for the seat back; the front cover for the seat back is permanently attached to the seat back structure. Elverskog does not disclose separation of the front cover of the seat back from the remainder of the seat back structure, nor capture of that front cover between a parachute (or any other emergency device) and the person wearing or using the parachute, as provided by the present invention. Also, Elverskog does not provide any means for a complete six point harness to be secured from his device to the person using the device, through the permanently affixed front panel of the seat back upholstery.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,885 issued on Dec. 1, 1987 to James W. Martin, titled xe2x80x9cParachute System And Aircraft Ejection Seat Incorporating The Same,xe2x80x9d describes a seat mounted drogue and main parachute system, closely resembling the system of the Stencel ""499 U.S. Patent discussed further above. The same points of difference noted in that discussion, are seen to apply here as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,570 issued on Aug. 23, 1988 to Gerald F. Herndon, titled xe2x80x9cAircraft Ejected Seat Stabilizing And Delayed Parachute System,xe2x80x9d describes a system wherein the parachute harness is attached directly to the flight crewmember, but which utilizes an ejection seat to remove the flight crewmember and his parachute from the aircraft. The parachute is not stored within any part of the seat, but rather is donned by the flight crewmember before being seated in the ejection seat. Accordingly, no separable panel securing a parachute within the back of a seat structure, is disclosed by Herndon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,119 issued on Oct. 4, 1988 to Armand J. Aronne, titled xe2x80x9cAircraft Crew Multipurpose, Unitary Backpack For Bailout And Survival,xe2x80x9d describes a backpack assembly worn by the flight crewmember, with the assembly containing a parachute and additional survival gear. The flight crewmember wears the assembly while seated in the aircraft, but the assembly remains with the crewmember at all times in the aircraft, rather than being secured within the seat back structure and concealed behind the front panel of the seat back upholstery, as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,273 issued on Sep. 12, 1989 to Leon Jones, titled xe2x80x9cParachute-Release Mechanism And Method,xe2x80x9d describes an aneroid device for automatically deploying a parachute at a predetermined altitude. The present emergency parachute system may include such a device as well, with the disclosure of the Jones ""273 U.S. Patent being incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,392 issued on May 25, 1993 to John M. Bostrom, titled xe2x80x9cSeat Construction,xe2x80x9d describes a seat back with an open area between the two side bolsters. A housing extends rearwardly from the seat back, to provide room for a large oxygen cylinder. The Bostrom seat is intended for firefighters who require such supplemental breathing apparatus, and is not suitable for the comfort of a passenger in a vehicle. Bostrom does not disclose any form of parachute with his seat, nor any form of front surface upholstery cover overlying the seat back structure to secure a parachute therein, as provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,109 issued on Aug. 30, 1994 to David L. Berry et al., titled xe2x80x9cSeat Having Life Jacket Contained Therein,xe2x80x9d describes a seat back structure having a hollowed central area for a life jacket. The front of the seat back has an openable upholstery panel using Velcro(copyright) for securing along three sides, but having its upper edge permanently secured to the forward side of the seat back, just below the conventional headrest. In order to remove the life jacket from the Berry et al. seat back, the front upholstery panel must be lifted upwardly and back over the headrest. This is unworkable with the present invention, for two reasons: (1) the passenger would be unable to escape while wearing the parachute harness with the seat back upholstery captured between the parachute and passenger, as the Berry et al. upholstery panel is permanently affixed to the seat back at the headrest; and (2) folding the Berry et al. upholstery panel over the headrest, would preclude access to the top of the chute and rip cord D-ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,667 issued on Oct. 20, 1998 to Eric Van Den Brock, titled xe2x80x9cParachute Release Device,xe2x80x9d describes an automated parachute opening device, which senses acceleration to determine a maximum velocity of a falling person and cause the chute to open before that velocity is exceeded. The Van Den Brock device incorporates an aneroid pressure sensor to provide altitude information, as well as other sensors. The Van Den Brock device is intended for use by sport parachutists, rather than as an emergency device per se. Accordingly, Van Den Brock does not disclose any form of seating in which a parachute is stored for emergency use, as provided by the present invention. However, the present emergency parachute system may make use of an aneroid device to provide for automatic opening of the chute, as noted further above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,829 issued on Nov. 9, 1999 to Nell W. Nance et al., titled xe2x80x9cIn-Flight Evacuation System,xe2x80x9d describes a system in which each passenger seat has a parachute and survival kit in the seat back portion. In an emergency, the seats rotate 180 degrees and move along tracks to a rear exit. The seat back separates from the seat bottom, with the bottom remaining with the aircraft and the back remaining with the passenger, who descends using the parachute deploying from the seat back. The present invention contrasts by leaving the relatively bulky seat back behind, and requires little, if any, modification to the airframe itself. However, Nance et al. disclose the general structure of a conventional passenger carrying commercial aircraft in their ""829 U.S. Patent, which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
British Patent Publication No. 640,520 published on Jul. 19, 1950 to James Martin of Martin-Baker Aircraft Company, titled xe2x80x9cAn Ejection Seat For Aircraft,xe2x80x9d describes an early pyrotechnically actuated ejection seat. The only parachute mechanism incorporated with the seat per se, is a relatively small drogue chute which deploys immediately after ejection. The primary parachute is worn by the flight crewmember at all times, and is not stored or contained within the seat back prior to use, as it is in the present invention.
British Patent Publication No. 2,118,498 published on Nov. 2, 1983 to Autoflug GmbH, titled xe2x80x9cAir-Sea Rescue Apparatus,xe2x80x9d describes an automated actuation system for operating components of a survival system after an emergency bailout. Most of the elements of the survival system are located in the bottom of the seat. No seat back structure is disclosed, either conventionally or having a parachute contained therein.
Finally, PCT Patent Publication No. 00/56,600 published on Sep. 28, 2000 to Simula, Inc., titled xe2x80x9cAdjustable Emergency Ejection Seat,xe2x80x9d describes a seat mechanism having vertical and fore-aft adjustment. No parachute system nor space for housing a parachute in the seat back structure, is disclosed in the PCT Patent Publication.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an airline seat parachute solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention comprises two embodiments of a passenger parachute system for use with airline or other commercial aircraft. In a first embodiment, the seat back of each passenger seat has a receptacle therein, in which an emergency parachute is stored during normal operations. The parachute harness extends forwardly from the seat back, between the edge of the removable front upholstery panel and the remainder of the seat back structure, for donning by the seated passenger. The front upholstery panel of the seat back, which conceals and protects the emergency chute during normal operations, is secured to the periphery of the seat back by removable fastener means, e.g., Velcro(copyright). The top of the seat back and emergency parachute are covered by a separate flap, which remains permanently attached to the seat back along its rearward edge. However, the forward and lateral edges of the flap are removably attached (e.g., Velcro(copyright), etc.) respectively to the removable front upholstery panel and top edges of the seat back.
When the emergency chute is needed, the passenger need only pull away from the seat with the chute harness secured around the passenger, to pull away the removable front upholstery panel of the seat back and parachute from the seat back structure. The removable upholstery panel remains captured between the passenger and the parachute. In the event that the seat structure separates from the aircraft in its entirety, the passenger need only open the upper flap to access the rip cord handle, with deployment of the parachute causing the remainder of the seat back to pull away.
A second embodiment comprises a smaller six point harness, adapted for use by infants and small children who are otherwise not seated within individual passenger seats within the aircraft. This child harness is not equipped with a parachute, but includes a series of sturdy fasteners (e.g., D-rings or the like) which are permanently secured to the front of the harness. An adult parent or guardian passes his or her harness through the D-rings of the child harness, to secure the child to the adult in a face-to-face relationship. The relatively light weight of the child will not significantly increase the descent rate of the adult in his or her parachute.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an airline seat parachute system, with an emergency parachute contained within the seat back structure of each passenger seat of an airliner or other commercial aircraft.
It is another object of the invention to conceal such an emergency parachute within the seat back structure, by means of a removably installed front upholstery panel for the seat back which covers the emergency parachute therein and which allows the harness of the parachute to extend therefrom for donning by a passenger seated within the seat.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such an emergency parachute system which provides rapid access to the rip cord of the parachute, even though the parachute remains in its stored location within the seat back, for actuation by the passenger in the event the seat separates from the aircraft.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a child harness which is removably attachable to the adult harness.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.